{"id":611230,"date":"2025-12-04T08:09:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T08:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/611230\/"},"modified":"2025-12-04T08:09:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T08:09:15","slug":"the-6-best-free-things-to-do-in-london-this-weekend-december-5-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/611230\/","title":{"rendered":"The 6 Best Free Things To Do in London This Weekend [December 5-7]"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yep, the first mince pies sneaked into supermarkets back in August, to be eaten only by twisted types who don\u2019t\u00a0see the essential wrongness of consuming dried fruit while wearing shorts. But now it\u2019s finally the first weekend of December<\/a>, and that means it\u2019s time for even normal, right-thinking people to turn their attention to the wild annual consumerist smorgasbord that is Christmas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The shops are heaving with trinkets, all begging you to take them home and pop in them someone\u2019s stocking. Pubs and restaurants are tempting you into lavish three-course roasts, where in other, more rational months a simple packet of prawn cocktail crisps would suffice. And they say that in London, you\u2019re never more than six feet away from an opportunity to squander your cash on festive entertainments, be they dangerously tempting ice-rinks or enticingly steamy little pop-up drinking globes. How will you resist? Well, we\u2019re here to help.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even in December, London offers a surprising number of things to do that don\u2019t involve making like Santa and showering the city\u2019s businesses with your hard-earned cash. You can gaze upon this city\u2019s gorgeous lights<\/a>\u00a0and creative Christmas tree displays<\/a> without so much as opening your wallet, for example. Or think bigger by going to one of these thoroughly festive but totally free events. Like Father Christmas\u2019s elves, we\u2019re here to help, so read on for inspiration to fill your weekend with joy.<\/p>\n

Okay, so technically this one\u2019s on Thursday. But if you\u2019re brave and fearless enough to go out on a school night, you\u2019ll be rewarded with an after-hours opportunity to explore Museum of the Home\u2019s wonderfully festive array of rooms through different time periods, all decked out for Christmas. Pick up a hot chocolate or mulled wine, listen to carols, and even try your hand at a seasonal craft or two: perhaps it\u2019ll inspire you to decorate your actual home with homemade paperchains in retro, affordable style.<\/p>\n

Museum of the Home,\u00a0E2 8EA. Thursday December 4. Free.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If\u00a0you\u2019re willing to risk another Thursday outing, you\u2019ll find Aldgate in Winter’s big launch party, which features mulled wine, hot chocolate and pastry giveaways (12noon to 2pm), live performances on The Aldgate Stage (12noon-2.30pm and 3.30pm-7pm), and a big Christmas tree switch-on at 5pm. Hang on until Friday instead and you\u2019ll be rewarded with a gorgeous lantern parade through the neighbourhood, where local primary school children showcase their glowing creations. There\u2019s also a free trail, so you can see the lanterns lighting up local windows for the next fortnight.<\/p>\n

Aldgate Square,\u00a0EC3N 1AF. Thursday December 4-Friday December 5. Free.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Aldgate
\nPhotograph: Aldgate Winter Festival <\/p>\n

Unfortunately, no actual reindeer will be present at this Christmas event: you\u2019ll have to head a little further north for that. But there\u2019ll still be loads of festive jollity on offer for cyclists of all skill levels. This wintry bike ride through Burgess Park begins at the Giraffe House before taking in a 10-mile route through local green spaces. Kids are welcome, and there’ll be a half-hour break in the middle to catch your breath. So dig out a pair of antlers and get ready to bring a little nordic magic to south London, whether or not the weather obliges with a little snow.<\/p>\n

Burgess Park, SE5 0RJ. Saturday December 6. Free.<\/p>\n

Back in 1954, Regent Street was the very first road in London to put up Christmas lights. Nowadays, this gorgeously curved shopping thoroughfare is still a hotspot for anyone looking to enjoy London\u2019s skies at their very most festive. And this Saturday, there\u2019s an added incentive. The whole street will be pedestrianised from 2pm-9pm, and there\u2019ll be loads of fun free stuff to enjoy. Three bright red double-decker buses will welcome passers-by aboard for Christmassy activities. One\u2019s perfect for photography buffs, with opportunities to take the perfect snap of the glowing angel-themed lights hovering overhead. And the other two offer disco DJs and choirs from charity Choose Love, plus craft workshops (book in advance). There\u2019ll also be in-store events, special offers and prizes from participating shops on the street, if you\u2019re prepared to risk entering these tempting temples of commerce.<\/p>\n

Regent Street,\u00a0W1B 5AH. Saturday December 6. Free.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Parliament
\nPhotograph: Parliament Tattoo <\/p>\n

Early December is peak season for the city\u2019s independent Christmas markets, so you\u2019re spoilt for choice if you\u2019re planning on getting some gift shopping done this weekend. Head to Rotherhithe to pick up traditional Finnish toys, design pieces, Christmas cards at the Finnish Church Christmas Fair<\/a> (Fri Dec 5-Sun Dec 7), find presents\u00a0for the Nipponophile in your life at\u00a0Dalston\u2019s Yokimono Japanese Christmas Market<\/a> (Sat Dec 6-Sun Dec 7), pick up some sustainable bits and bobs at a festive edition of Chiswick\u2019s Duck Pond Market<\/a> (Sat Dec 6), check out stalls from some of south London\u2019s finest creatives at Sid\u2019s and Friends Christmas\u00a0Fair<\/a>\u00a0(Sat Dec 6), or grab some gothy gifts at Parliament Tattoo\u2019s Krampus Market<\/a> (Sun Dec 7) . That\u2019s your Christmas presents sorted, then!<\/p>\n

Various venues. Fri December 5-Sunday December 7. Free entry.<\/p>\n

Blackhorse Beer Mile is a boozy east London powerhouse, linking up\u00a010 Walthamstow watering holes for special events all year round. But this Christmas, they\u2019re really pulling out all the stops. On Saturday, you\u2019ll find an explosion of festive spirit at each participating venue, from\u00a0a live mariachi band at Exale to a festive market at\u00a0Renegade Urban Winery to arcade games and curling lanes at Big Penny Social, soundtracked by nine-piece brass band Brass Funkeys. Turn up and soak up the atmosphere: and dig into your pockets for a drink or two if you can bear to.
Various Walthamstow locations, E17. Saturday December 6. Free.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Start planning a great end to the year with our roundups of\u00a0the best things to do in December<\/a>\u00a0and our ultimate guide to\u00a0Christmas in London<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke \u2013 from news and reviews to events and trends. Just\u00a0<\/strong>follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stay in the loop: sign up for our\u00a0<\/strong>free Time Out London newsletter<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Yep, the first mince pies sneaked into supermarkets back in August, to be eaten only by twisted types…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":611231,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7757],"tags":[748,6419,393,4884,257,6420,6417,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-611230","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-london","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-categories-things-to-do","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-london","13":"tag-news-city-life","14":"tag-things-to-do","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115660284365807650","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=611230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/611231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=611230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=611230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=611230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}